Shattered Souls
by Forever Lost In Stars
Summary: Twenty Years, Ichigo was in that hell hole. Twenty Years, he has broken over and over again. After twenty years, he was given a chance. A chance for a new life. To make new friends. To finally let go of his past and move on. And it all started with a little blond fox.
1. Chapter 1: A Chance in a Broken World

**Sue me. Just, sue me. I'm trying to write the next chapter for my other story Experiment #TSC-027 and this comes up. In fact, there are already two and a half chapters. Seriously I hate it that random ideas pop into my head and I have to write and post them. What's worse is that the majority have some sort of angst. I swear I'm gonna be reduced to an angst creating machine one day. GAH! Well anyway, enjoy!**

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Rain. Ichigo hated the rain. But as he stood on the battlefield, his two trust partners in his hands and his clothes soaked in blood, some his own, some not, he couldn't help but look up at the crying sky, allowing it's tears to hide his own.

Before him was a waste field, where the proud Seireitei once stood. It was gone. Eradicated by Aizen's rampage. After the Quincy war, Seireitei had significantly weakened, first with the death of Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni, the former Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, and the death of the soul king. With the proud Seireitei a mere shadow of its former glory, Aizen broke free of his restricting shackles, once more waging a war against the tired Shinigami. However, it quickly became apparent that Aizen's main target was a certain hybrid of the name, Kurosaki Ichigo. Some figured it was for revenge. Others figured for amusement. Some figures because of the power the hybrid held.

The war lasted twenty long years before Aizen finally fell to Ichigo's blades. But Ichigo hadn't won. Everyone was gone. Everyone he cared for. Everyone he had sworn to protect. Gone. Slipped from his grasp. Dead. With a dead and broken look in his eyes, Ichigo looked down at the broken body of Aizen. He felt no satisfaction. No sense of completion. Only sorrow. Loneliness. He had sworn to protect those he loved, and he had survived on that oath. He had failed, and now he was alone.

 **"King."** The only sign that Ichigo had heard it was the slight shifting in his stance. Zangetsu sighed, placing a hand on his wielders shoulder. **"King, we can't stand still forever."** Ichigo merely nodded, before sealing Zangetsu and sheathing him in the pitch-black scabbard on his back. Ichigo's shihakusho was torn to ribbons, almost completely unrecognisable. His long orange hair fluttered in the wind as he walked away, the rain continuing to pour relentlessly. Though Ichigo's wounds were no longer visible, thanks to his instant regeneration, it had sapped all his remaining strength. Even to Ichigo, the reason as to why he could move was a mystery.

After hours of aimless stumbling, Ichigo somehow found himself in the living world or, to be more specific, Kisuke's old shop. It looked just as it did so many years ago, only a little dustier. Ichigo began exploring, ignoring his bodies please for rest. At some point, Ichigo ended up in Kisuke's private lab.

It was clean, was the first thing that Ichigo noticed. Inventions where neatly placed in shelves and wires had been carefully placed in separate boxes. It was as if Kisuke had cleaned the entire lab for only one machine that stood proudly in the middle of the room a note placed on the control panel next to it.

Ichigo frowned, the first sign of emotion that had appeared on his face for a long time, before making his way to the machine picking up the note and opening it.

 _Kurosaki-san,_

 _If you are reading this, it must mean that I have met my end. A shame really, I must admit, but all lives must come to an end eventually. I know this is hard for you, Kurosaki-san, and though I know you won't listen, none of this is your fault. We all died of our own accord. The death of your family was not your fault either, nor was the death of your friends. You were still in Aizen's clutches then. There is nothing you could have done. Everyone's probably shaking their heads, wherever dead souls that die go, at your behaviour._

 _Knowing you and your stubbornness, however, a few words on a piece of paper from a dead guy isn't going to change your mind. So instead, I have something for you._

 _To your left you will find a giant metal circular machine, that looks a bit like a portal from those weird, dimensions travelling movies, that I'm sure you've already noticed. Knowing you, I'm sure you already have an idea of what it is, but I will go from the start anyway._

 _Sometime during the war, I started to research more about the Dangai, the purple tunnel that you can never get out of when you get stuck, which I'm sure you remember from your experiences. Well, in my research I found some very fascinating information. Not only is the time around the Dangai extremely dense, the Dangai is actually a bunch of tunnels that connects a whole bunch of dimensions parallel to our own. In other words, if used right the Dangai can take us to not only a completely different time it can also take us to a different dimension!_

 _I built this machine in hopes of harnessing the Dangai's potential, however, leaping dimensions is such a massive feat, the machine can only do one jump before exploding, which means that when you leave you will never be able to return. It also means that I was unable to do trial runs so I do not know where you will end up._

 _In other words, I saved that one dimension jumping chance for you, Kurosaki-san._

 _I wish for you to take this as a chance for a new life Kurosaki-san. Don't let your life in this world haunt you. Take this chance to make new friends and protect them. Take this chance Kurosaki-san and don't waste it on regret on your old life._

 _To activate the machine just flick up the switch on the side of the machine and let your reiatsu be absorbed into the machine. You'll know when it's ready._

 _Good luck, Ichigo._

 _Urahara-san/Getaboshi_

 _P.S. Be ready for any side-effect that may pop up. Even I do not know the limits of the Dangai! If worse comes to worse, however, you will most likely split up into thousands of Reishi particles and scatter among the Dangai, stuck for eternity! Though I'm sure that won't happen..._

As Ichigo read Kisuke's letter, he couldn't help but shake his head, a ghost of a smile flashing across his face. He could practically hear the annoying shopkeeper, that stupid fan of his, covering his features. Unfortunately, that caused the bad memories to appear. The face that Kisuke held when he stopped the cero meant for Ichigo. The small, sad smile that was held on his lips, as Benehime shattered, blood spraying from the giant hole in his chest, was still clear in his mind. If only he was stronger. He could have saved him an-

 _"Ichigo calm down. Panicking and regretting over things that have already passed will get us nowhere."_ The voice of the Quincy side of his zanpakto spoke.

 **"I agree with the old man, King. You're making it storm in here."** Muttering a 'sorry', Ichigo shoved the memories aside, locking them up in a box with the rest of the memories of the war, and placed the note down, surveying the machine that lay before him.

It was big, about twice his height and about five meters wide. Quoting from Kisuke, 'a portal from those weird, dimension travelling movies'. Resigning to his fate, Ichigo followed the letter's instructions and flicked the bright red switch on the side of the machine, allowing it to come to life.

He allowed his reiatsu to be absorbed into the machine, making it glow a light blue. The blue light then began to gather in the center of the machine, before slowly expanding outwards. Soon the centre of the machine was a giant glowing blue vortex of blue energy. As Ichigo stepped towards the said vortex, he looked back.

"Thank you Kisuke." And he stepped through the machine, disappearing from the world and just like Kisuke said, the machine exploded destroying anything left of the broken world.

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	2. Chapter 2: Meeting of Demons

**Chapter 2!**

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When Ichigo woke up, he found himself in an alley. It was a full moon, late in the might, with not many people outside, if any at all. Ichigo's shihakusho had been restored and Zangetsu, in his sealed form, was sheathed on his back. Ichigo also noticed that his hair had shortened, now just above his shoulders and eyes. He also noticed that, somehow, the world seemed bigger. Frowning, Ichigo began wandering the dark, empty streets, looking for some sort of window to help survey himself. When he did, he had to make a double take. He was a midget, being about a meter and a half. He looked like a younger version of his former self. His hollow began to laugh, hysterically at the sight, until the old man pointed out that he had also shrunk along with Ichigo. That had shut up the hollow very quickly. Ichigo ignored the ordeal, instead, briefly wondering how exactly his entire physic and shrunk and why he could be seen in the mirror. He brushed it off as something to do with the machine he had just recently travelled through.

Sighing, Ichigo began to experiment with his abilities. Using a burst of Shunpo, he quickly made it to the nearby forest surrounding the outskirts of the town. He found that he could still perform kido, at least what he could actually perform without the techniques exploding in his face. His Hierro and Instant Regeneration still worked, although he didn't want to try cero just yet, as it had the potential to create a new Grand Canyon if he wasn't careful. He also decided against releasing his shikai, least he risk crushing the trees in a half-mile radius with the pressure of his reiatsu. He also tested the only Quincy technique that he was actually capable of (much to the aggravation of the old man) , Blunt Vein, which, just like the others, worked perfectly normal.

Sighing in helpless defeat, Ichigo jumped onto a tall tree, using reishi platforms, and setting himself on a branch to sleep. It was still night-time, if the moon wasn't of any indication, so he might as well take a well-needed rest before exploring this new world. As he lay down on the, rather comfortable, branch he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. Unfortunately, his mind decided to wander in a not so pleasant place.

The day his human friends had died. Is was the mark of twenty years of hell. He had just finished recovering from the Quincy attack in Soul Society and was about to make his exit. Then a huge explosion had ripped through Soul Society, the vibrations tossing Ichigo in the open Dangai portal. He had spent who knows how long in there, for him it felt like forever. At some point during his time in the Dangai, he suddenly felt a strange sensation and it took him a moment to realise that he was dead. Somehow, his body was destroyed. In a confused rampage, Ichigo managed to open a door in the Dangai, a feat that he did not remember how to do, and what he found had left him in shock. Karakura was in ruins, the stench of blood mixing in the air. Once tall proud buildings were rubble, a shadow of what they once were. The most horrifying thing, however, was the complete lack of reiatsu. He extended his senses, searching desperately for any signs of his friends. There were none. They were gone. Forever.

Ichigo was snapped out of his dark memories when jeers and laughter suddenly filled the air. Twenty years of war-hardened battle senses sent Ichigo's mind into overdrive, and he was on his feet in the blink of an eye, every single one of his muscles tensed, ready for combat and his hand on Zangetsu's hilt.

Narrowing his eyes, Ichigo began scanning his surroundings, looking for the source of the noise. It didn't take long as the area was lit with torches and the laughter was relatively loud. What he saw made him scowl. A young boy, no older than 7, was in the middle of a people-made circle. He was a bloody, trembling mess on the ground and was currently being kicked around by a couple of men. Ichigo slowly crept up above the commotion to get a better look, the scowl not moving an inch off his face.

"Die demon."

"Why do you exist."

"Why are you still alive."

Ichigo grit his teeth as he watched the grown adults pick on a kid, calling him names that even Ichigo wouldn't be able to completely shrug off. He suddenly felt two more presences bellow him and looked in the direction to see strange people in black clothing and strange black masks that looked like some sort of strange animals. He figured that these people might have some sort of authority compared to the crowd down below. Instead of helping the boy, however, they just looked at the scene, as if they were enjoying it. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore.

"Oi. What are you doing!" Stepping down from the tree, and standing behind the crowd, Ichigo looked quite menacing in his black clothes and sword that gleamed in the moonlight. The crowd, whose attention had been on the boy, turned to him, slightly startled. A man holding a knife stepped forward.

"I think we should ask you the same thing kid." Ichigo inwardly growled at the name. He was probably older than most of the people in the crowd, "This place isn't for kids. So, go back to your mama. In fact, you should be thanking us. We're killing a demon." Ichigo quirked an eyebrow. This man even more intolerable then goat face. Though in a different way.

"You do realise that you're beating a seven-year-old kid." Now the crowd had forgotten the blond, creating a circle around Ichigo. The two masked guys hadn't moved, but Ichigo could feel their gaze on him.

This time a woman spoke up, walking towards Ichigo with a sickening smile on her face and her hands out as if to comfort a five-year-old.

"My dear child. It seems that you are unaware of what the boy is. He is the nine tales in human form. He destroyed our town seven years ago and killed many of our friends and family. It is not safe around that boy." Ichigo frowned, extending his sense towards the boy, who had now curled up inside himself. He could definitely sense something powerful in the boy's body, but it was separate from him and didn't feel evil. At least, not compared to the reiatsu Hollow-Zangetsu emitted. And that is where the other problem lay. After all, part of Ichigo's soul was a homicidal sadist, no matter how much said zanpakto denied it, and because of that, Ichigo hated it when others were called a demon. So, Ichigo decided to do the most logical thing in this situation.

With a small flash step, Ichigo was beside the boy in an instant, standing over him protectively, his sword drawn.

"That is not an excuse to beat a boy into a bloody mess." Blinded with rage, the crowd barrelled towards him, knives and fists at the ready. As they neared him at an agonizingly slow pace, Ichigo allowed his eyes to flicker towards the two in the trees, a slight smirk crossing his face when they flinched, before returning to face the current problem. Ichigo decided to follow the passive and nonviolent route.

Pressure suddenly filled the area, suffocating the people before them as they gasped for breath.

 **"Leave"** That one word echoed through the forest, making a cold shiver go down everyone's spine, and the crowd, as well as the two in the trees, scrambled away instantly. Allowing Ichigo's hollow side to recede to the back of his mind, Ichigo surveyed the boy.

Now that the crowd had gone, their presence no longer muddling Ichigo's sense, he noticed something he hadn't before. Whatever he sensed coming from the boy, and pretty much everyone else that he had currently encountered, was not reiatsu. It was something else. The way it circulated through the air a lot more smoothly than reiatsu as well as the fact that it was significantly less dense. Ichigo didn't know what it was and his hated that.

He shoved his musings away for now, after all this was definitely a different world than the one he came from, and focused on the task at hand. Healing the boy before him. Picking the, now discovered, blond bridal style, Ichigo disappeared in a flash of Shunpo to look for a place away from the area that he could heal the boy and allow them both to rest.

He'll figure out this world and his past later.

...

When Naruto came to his sense, the first thing that he could smell and hear was flowing water. It was strange. Usually, after the village decided to beat him, he woke up bloody and weak. Now, he felt refreshed. Cracking his eyes open, Naruto squinted his eyes as the sun peaked through, a small groan escaping his mouth as he sat up. Surveying his surroundings, Naruto realised that his clothes had been cleaned and his wounds were almost healed. He was currently sitting in a small patch of lush grass, next to a small stream.

Frowning, Naruto attempted to stand up, only to tumble forward when pain shot through his legs. With a small yelp, Naruto began to tip toward the grass below. Before he could hit it, however, two strong hands gripped onto him, halting his fall.

"Woah, are you okay?" Naruto tensed, flinching out of the figures grasp into a crouch. Said figure merely shifted, allowing Naruto to study him. The figure had short orange hair, just above his neck and eyes, and brown eyes that, Naruto noticed as a side note, seemed completely void of any emotion. He looked to be about ten, though that didn't allow Naruto to relax, as the kid radiated power and there was a pitch-black sword on his waist.

"Who are you. I've never soon you around the village before." The boy blinked, the only sign of any emotion on the boy's face other than his scowl, which Naruto found very creepy.

"Umm...you could say that I just happened to pass by when I saw you being beaten up by all those people. I couldn't help but intervene." The boy said, settling himself on a nearby tree.

"But, why? I'm a demon. Everyone hates me." Naruto muttered as he sat down crossed-legged, staring at the ground beneath him.

"I don't care. Everyone has their dark side. If those people can't do anything better than beat a seven-year-old to the ground than they're no better than what they call you." Naruto stared at the boy in surprise, blinking his not-so-innocent eyes owlishly.

"You...You really think so." Naruto fiddles with his hands, unable to fully comprehend the words the orangette had said. Said person studied Naruto with his dull, yet piercing, molten brown eyes.

"People who don't know you as a person have no right to judge you based on what they've seen." There was a moment of silence, only broken by the soft lapping of running lake water.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Naruto jumped, startled by the sudden voice, only to realise it was the orangette.

"Pardon?" The orangette sighed.

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. Yours?" Naruto looked up into dull brown orbs.

"U-Uzumaki Naruto." A small smile flashing across his face, Ichigo stood up and offered a hand to Naruto.

"Come on. We can't be wearing the same pair of tattered clothes forever. Let's get to the town that you live in. I'm sure there are people that will be worried for you." Naruto nodded, grasping onto the offered hand before leading Ichigo towards his hated home.

With Naruto's back turned away, Ichigo dropped his small, almost non-existent, smile hiding it behind his well-kept mask.

It seemed he wasn't the only one that had been broken beyond repair.

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